Database Architect — Oracle & PostgreSQL, Cloud Migration

OpsGuru is a global engineering and consulting group. We are experts in the container ecosystem, data processing and analytics, and cloud-native technologies. Our team is formed by network, data, security, DevOps specialists and application developers. OpsGuru empowers customers with technology to solve their business problems and provide the tools to assure success in their digital transformation. 

About the role

We're looking for a Database Architect who owns the data tier end to end on enterprise cloud engagements — and who is equally deep in Oracle and PostgreSQL, because the work sits squarely between them.

Most of our engagements start with a working-but-aging system: an Oracle database carrying a decade of business logic in PL/SQL packages nobody has read recently, supporting applications that cannot go down. They end with a supportable, well-instrumented PostgreSQL platform on cloud infrastructure that costs less to run and that a managed operations team can actually keep healthy. Between those two points sit the decisions that determine whether the program succeeds: target-state design, sequencing, what gets converted versus rewritten versus retired, how cutover happens, and what the rollback looks like.

This is the person accountable for those decisions. You will set the technical direction for database migration and modernization work, defend it to client architects and executives, and stay close enough to the implementation to catch the problems early. It is an architecture role that has not stopped being hands-on — you are expected to open a plan, read a trace, and prove the point yourself rather than delegate the diagnosis.

You will also help shape how we deliver this work: reference architectures, migration patterns, estimation models, and standards that make the next engagement faster than the last one.

What you'll do

• Own the architecture of the data tier across migration and modernization programs — current-state assessment, target-state design, migration strategy, sequencing, risk, and effort — and be accountable for the outcome, not just the design document.

• Make and defend the hard calls: convert versus rewrite versus retire, RDS versus Aurora versus self-managed, single cutover versus phased coexistence, where to spend money on performance and where not to.

• Design Oracle-to-PostgreSQL migrations in full: schema conversion, PL/SQL to PL/pgSQL strategy, data type and collation mismatch resolution, query rewrite patterns, and the performance validation that proves the target holds under real load.

• Plan cutovers that minimize downtime — CDC-based replication, dual-run and output-comparison approaches, rehearsals, go/no-go criteria, and a rollback plan you would genuinely be willing to execute.

• Stay hands-on where it counts: diagnose performance problems yourself, read execution plans, isolate whether the bottleneck is SQL, schema, statistics, configuration, storage, or application access pattern, and land the fix with evidence behind it.

• Architect the database platform on cloud infrastructure — sizing, HA and failover topology, backup and recovery, patching and version strategy, encryption and key management, observability, and cost optimization.

• Define the operational model handed to managed services: runbooks, monitoring and alerting standards, escalation paths, and the health checks that catch problems before the client does.

• Act as the senior technical voice with clients — lead architecture and design sessions, present to client architects and executive stakeholders, translate trade-offs into business terms, and hold the line when a requested shortcut creates real risk.

• Support pre-sales and delivery planning: scope database workstreams, size effort, contribute to proposals and statements of work, and flag the assumptions that will break the estimate if they turn out to be wrong.

• Build reusable assets — reference architectures, migration playbooks, conversion patterns, assessment tooling — so delivery quality does not depend on who is staffed.

• Use agentic and AI-assisted workflows as a core part of how you work: accelerating schema and stored-procedure conversion, test generation, log and plan analysis, and documentation — with the judgment to verify output rather than trust it, and a point of view on where it belongs in a delivery methodology.

• Set standards and grow the bench: review other engineers' database work, mentor senior and mid-level engineers, and document decisions so the next person understands the reasoning, not just the result.

What you'll need

• 10+ years in database engineering, administration, or data platform work, including several years in an architect or principal-level role with design authority over business-critical systems.

• Deep Oracle expertise. PL/SQL inside out — packages, procedures, functions, triggers, cursors, sequences, dynamic SQL — plus partitioning, RMAN backup and recovery, Data Guard, and the full diagnostic stack (AWR, ASH, execution plans, optimizer statistics, SQL tuning).

• Strong PostgreSQL expertise. PL/pgSQL, EXPLAIN ANALYZE, index strategy, partitioning, autovacuum and bloat management, connection pooling, streaming and logical replication, WAL and PITR, and the extensions that matter in production (pg_stat_statements, pg_repack, postgres_fdw, pgaudit).

• Both Oracle and PostgreSQL are required, not one or the other. This role sits between the two platforms and depth in only one will not be sufficient.

• Oracle-to-PostgreSQL migrations you have architected and seen through to production. You can walk through the design, what broke, what you got wrong, and what you would do differently.

• Cloud infrastructure depth, ideally AWS: RDS and Aurora PostgreSQL, RDS for Oracle or self-managed Oracle on EC2, VPC and networking fundamentals, IAM, KMS and Secrets Manager, CloudWatch and Performance Insights — enough to design the surrounding infrastructure, not only the database.

• Fluency with infrastructure-as-code and automation — Terraform or CloudFormation, plus Python, Bash, or PowerShell.

• Ability to read application code well enough to understand how it talks to the database, and to work as a peer to the developers and architects who own it.

• Practical experience with agentic AI tooling in a technical delivery workflow, and a clear view of where it helps and where it doesn't.

• Executive-ready communication: able to run a design session, write a decision record, and explain a trade-off to a non-technical stakeholder without losing the substance.

Preferred

• Migration tooling depth: AWS Schema Conversion Tool, AWS DMS, ora2pg, or equivalents — including where each one falls short and what to do about it.

• Experience with MSSQL or other relational engines as a migration source or target.

• Exposure to hybrid and private cloud environments — VMware-based platforms, sovereign or regulated hosting, and the constraints that come with them.

• Managed services or 24/7 operational accountability: on-call, incident command, SLA-backed environments, and post-incident review.

• Consulting or MSP background with North American enterprise clients, including scoping and estimation exposure.

• Working alongside .NET application teams during a data-tier migration — reading ADO.NET or Entity Framework data access to understand behaviour that must be preserved.

• Data protection and compliance exposure: encryption at rest and in transit, auditing, data residency, SOC 2, PCI, or public-sector requirements.

• Observability tooling beyond native cloud monitoring, and database change management with Liquibase, Flyway, or similar.

• Relevant certifications (Oracle OCP, AWS Database Specialty or Solutions Architect Professional) are a plus but will not substitute for demonstrated migration outcomes

What's in it for you:

Compensation & Perks

• Competitive compensation package (160K - 180K CAD / year)

• Retirement Savings Matching Program (RRSP)

• Access to the latest tech

• Partnership with Perkopolis Discounts

Flexibility & Time Off

• Remote first work environment

• Flexible work hours & location

• Paid parental leave options

Health & Wellness

• Employer paid health & dental premiums

• GreenShield+ Counselling Mental Health

• $500 in Health Care Spending Account annually

Growth & Development

• Peer recognition rewards

As an employer, OpsGuru + Carbon60, recognizes the importance of balancing our careers with other aspects of our lives, and our culture reflects this ethos - from flexible work hours to health and wellness incentives and having fun along the way. We look for people who thrive in an environment of accountability and at times ambiguity as we adapt and grow our business.

OpsGuru is an equal-opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people with all levels of ability. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. We thank all applicants for their interest in this exciting opportunity.

Only candidates that meet the qualifications will be contacted for an interview.